Smart Digital Monitoring For Operations

Walk inside the JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek and the air conditioned air feels lovely. It’s also quiet and fills the hotel with consistent temperatures, without using HVAC units.

Instead, the hotel relies on two vertically mounted pumps to flow water through a chiller. Two small backup units are located in a small equipment room on one of the guestroom floors, but the manufacturer, Armstrong Fluid Technology, touts the alignment of pumps to minimize noise and function with little down time.

Hardware aside, the real selling point of the system is the digital platform that allows building managers to optimize energy and water efficiency and to closely monitor systems to prevent problems and extend service life for equipment.

Southern PHC was given a chance to see the system in operation in the leadup the AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida, where efficiency and whole-building management system were showcased by several manufacturers.

Systems are in third decade of evolution

Roberto Bosco, national Solutions sales manager for Toronto-based Armstrong, said monitoring and system optimization began in the early 2000s, when the company began integrating pumps and mapping performance. Eventually, a chip was added to the pump to sense vibrations.

Over time, system monitoring became more integrated and expansive.

Armstrong showcased the latest iteration of its system, called Envelope.

“We start from the single piece of equipment design envelope. Then we evolve to the same platform, and then digitalize the platform. We evolve to system envelope, which means putting together more equipment coming from Armstrong and optimizing the performance of that equipment,” said Bosco, who studied engineering at the University of Bologna in Italy.

As computer chips advance and data monitoring grows in volume, he foresees systems operated by an artificial intelligence overseeing building infrastructure. In past years, comfort levels were what building managers were focused on, but the push for more energy efficiency to counter the effect of climate change has pushed manufacturers to take a broader view.

“We have to maintain comfort, but we can do it in a more efficient way. How? By embracing new technologies and all the evolution that we can get from data analytics from connecting to the cloud.”

Sensors create 3D portrait of a room

Delta Intelligent Building Technologies unveiled its building controls system at AHR Expo, but it uses different tools to track performance. The company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Wayne, New Jersey, combines systems from other companies to produce intelligent systems for use in large, multi-location facilities so building managers can track building operations remotely.

Delta uses open protocol connections to integrate building systems, with a focus on integrating lighting and HVAC systems, said John Nicholls, president of Delta Controls. The system will be capable of measuring light, tracking motion and measuring temperatures for an entire room, not just where the thermostat is located.

“It will use infrared temperature sensing along with infrared calibrated to a three-dimensional point in the room,” he said.

That will allow the system to sense when fresh air might be needed in a room, or correct temperature in an operating room in a medical facility to ensure the temperature is correct at the point where surgeons are working.

For contractors, such systems can help overcome barriers between different trades or business sectors because everyone can see shared data, said Chuck Campagna, president and CEO of Amerlux, which is also part of the Delta organization.

“From a construction standpoint, whether it’s new construction or renovation, if you’re the end user or if you’re a general contractor it really starts to break down a lot of the silos that you’ve had to deal with forever,” he said. “Being able to go to one group or one person and be able to say, ‘I need solutions. Help me figure this out.’”

Residential applications are in the future

Both company’s platforms reflect advances in intelligent building monitoring systems for industrial and commercial installations, said Glen Allmendinger, president of Harbor Research. The company advises businesses about how to implement smart system designs, focusing on investment and 10% to 30% offsetting savings through increased energy efficiency.

“Basically, in order to go and add building managementsystem control technology that systemically addresses climate and energy, you probably need to think about $5 per square foot to get about $1 in savings,” he said.

Those statistics apply to large buildings, where variables such as a building’s age and existing infrastructure come into play. New buildings offer easier installations because newer equipment is more interoperable. In general, software advancements have grown faster than equipment technology.

While the current state of building monitoring systems is most efficient in large buildings, technologies will eventually become more affordable for residential applications, Allmendinger said. It’s going to take a while, and multi-residential buildings make more sense that stand-alone homes because there are bigger savings from efficiencies. But there are lots of smart systems already being used in homes, with security and access controls, energy and climate control, lighting and air quality among the leading areas, based on a 2023 study by Harbor Research. Smart technologies are expected to be in 68% of homes by 2032, up from 57% in 2024.